Urban Bites : Tactical urbanism in placemaking
Author: Ronak Gandhi
(This section is the second in a series of questions and answers about urban planning topics including tactical urbanism and community engagement).
Hope you had a great time delving into last issue’s fresh topic of Tactical Urbanism, continuing that, maybe you would like to know more about how it affects placemaking? How can we create cool places that are a pleasure to visit?
These questions (and many more) will be answered in the following article.
Q: So what is ‘Tactical Urbanism in Placemaking?”:
A:Tactical Urbanism (in placemaking) is a low-cost, short-term, fluid technique for kicking off and promoting long-term projects linked to street safety, public space, and other issues. What began as a guerilla method for citizens to “reclaim their streets” has developed into a sanctioned and sought-after project delivery procedure utilized by cities, organizations, foundations, and neighbourhood and community groups all over the world (Wall).
This method of conducting “pilot” projects is used to test infrastructure, speed public benefit delivery, and create opportunities to promote grassroots efforts. For communities that desire real-time projections of future capital projects, the technique provides a tool to iterate on infrastructure design and evaluate its performance. The low-cost aspect of the process allows NGOs and neighbourhood groups to take ownership of their physical environment and establish a constituency of support for ideas they want to see become a reality. One of the most successful ways for the technique to work is to harness the power of communities as the local experts on their needs and wants (Wall).
Many people believe that space activation “simply occurs,” yet it typically takes a community to organize, develop, and program these events. It’s crucial to chronicle events and installations for two reasons: first, they might be transient, and second, they can be replicated elsewhere. The term “space activation” refers to a wide range of undertakings. Although a pop-up library and a pop-up shop are often lumped together, their objectives and effects are vastly different (Sponza).
No space activation project can hit home runs in every area, but it can meet goals if these traits are detected early on. Civic initiative activists must assess the quantity of community participation, the extent to which their work supports an issue, and the implications for social fairness. The goals of a pop-up library, for example, may be community engagement and scalability, but they may be a high degree of prototype potential for a more permanent future operation (Sponza).
Q: Okay that’s cool, but what would be a good example?:
A: A good example of this concept is Plaza 98, the first project completed under the Quick-Build Program, which has become a model for how Tactical Urbanism may assist local organizations in anchoring placemaking projects. Street Plans, Miami REALTORS®, and the Greater Miami Shores Chamber of Commerce placed a 6,500 square foot pavement mural created by local Miami Shores architects on NE 98th Street in Downtown Miami Shores in October 2017 to demarcate a new, temporary public area dubbed Plaza 98. Since its inception, Miami Shores, the Chamber, and partners have held community activities on the second Saturday of every month, including fitness, music, and cuisine events, among other things. Thanks to a dedicated project team and strong community support, what began with less than $5,000 in paint, plants, and string lights has blossomed into a beautiful site of meeting and community in Downtown Miami Shores (Plaza 98).
Tactically activated space in Miami, Florida (Plaza 98).
Q: How do we construct these spaces?:
A: We can construct these spaces by prototyping outdoor furniture that can be used by the local community. 3D modelling software and fast prototyping equipment are making it easier than ever to turn design concepts into physical reality. As these technologies progress, the amount of intricacy that can be achieved grows. In-house manufacturing and prototyping with 3D printers and CNC routers allows architects and engineers to experiment with scale models, facades, and landscape features (Sasaki Associates, Inc).
Maker culture also provides landscape architects with the capacity to act in urban landscapes like never before, allowing them to iterate placemaking innovations. Most landscape architects have to wait years or decades to see their idea for a site come to fruition. Designers can use DIY placemaking and the Tactical Urbanism movement to disrupt that longer process and build human-centric spaces in a much shorter timescale. (Sasaki Associates, Inc.).
Sasaki Associates construction diagrams for their #kitofparts (Sasaki Associates, Inc).
Kit of Parks, made of low-cost materials and built using a CNC machine, is intended to be portable, providing underutilized public areas in every neighbourhood. While parklets and pop-up parks have sprouted up around the country and gained popularity within the design world, Kit of Parks’ mobility allows access to a far larger audience. “The Kit of Parks can be biked anyplace and unpacked in about 10 minutes.” “It adds a splash of colour, excitement, and community gathering everywhere it goes,” said Philip Dugdale (Sasaki Associates, Inc.).
#kitofparts in a parking lot (Sasaki Associates, Inc).
References:
Plaza 98. “Home | plaza98.” Wix.com, https://ines649.wixsite.com/plaza98. Accessed 2 December 2021.
Sasaki Associates, Inc. “DIY Placemaking & the Rise of Tactical Urbanism.” Sasaki, 1 December 2015, https://www.sasaki.com/voices/diy-placemaking-the-rise-of-tactical-urbanism/. Accessed 2 December 2021.
Sponza, Carolyn. “A How-to for Creative Placemaking and Tactical Urbanism.” Gensler, https://www.gensler.com/blog/how-to-for-creative-placemaking-and-tactical-urbanism. Accessed 2 December 2021.
Wall, Dana. “Tactical Urbanism for Placemaking.” National Association of REALTORS®, 23 January 2019, https://www.nar.realtor/blogs/spaces-to-places/tactical-urbanism-for-placemaking. Accessed 2 December 2021.
